Weekend Preview: Boston University Terriers

Early November is upon us meaning the annual home and home series with the Boston University Terriers is on the horizon for the Northeastern Huskies. This year, the games will be split between Thursday November 1st (at Matthews Arena) and Saturday November 3rd (Agganis Arena) as Northeastern moved their home game to ensure it got broadcasted on NESN. Puck drop is 7pm for both games.

Things went well for the #HowlinHuskies against the Terriers last season. Let's continue the trend starting tomorrow at Matthews, shall we?!

BU This Season– In their first four games of the season, the Terriers find themselves still in search of head coach Albie O’Connell’s first win. Coming into this series, BU boasts two losses against Minnesota State on the road, as well as back-to-back shutout losses against Merrimack (at Merrimack) and Providence (at Agganis). Their lone “wins” were exhibition game against Acadia and the USA U18s, who honestly could beat a good portion of college hockey teams this season. BU has been outscored this season in real games 18-6, including 9-0 in their last two shutout losses. All-world goaltender Jake Oettinger has started all four games and has played his way to an abysmal .868 save percentage and a staggering 4.77 goals-against-average.

BU is led in scoring by defenseman David Farrance, who has four points (all assists) in four games. Senior forward Bobo Carpenter is the only player with multiple goals (2). Carpenter and sophomore Shane Bowers are the only players with double-digit shots on net through four games. Junior defenseman Chad Krys has only played on game due to injury, and the prized freshmen this year, Joel Farabee and Jake Wise, have one goal and zero assists between them.

In terms of special teams, the Terriers have not had much luck on the powerplay. In 19 attempts with the extra man, BU has scored only one time, for a clip of 5.3%. Similarly, the BU penalty kill has not performed well either, only succeeding 77% of the time. Given Northeastern’s early-season struggles on the powerplay, BU’s lackluster penalty kill may be just what the doctor ordered. Perhaps most indicative of the Terrier’s struggles is their shot differential, which you would expect to be skewed in their favor from pure score effects alone. Unfortunately for them, the opposite appears true, as they have been outshot by 26 shots.

We're head over heels excited to report that the @NUDoghouse is so jammed for Thursday vs. BU that we've opened up additional tickets!

Now, these struggles are all in spite of the clear talent that BU has on their roster. Oettinger is clearly not a sub-.900 save percentage goalie. First round picks like Farabee and Bowers, and other high draft picks like Dante Fabbro and Chad Krys, will not stay scoreless for long. Patrick Harper, if he is fully healthy after dealing with an illness last season, is a game changer that should eventually become a point-per-game scorer. Logan Cockerill had an excellent second half last season, and is one of the faster skaters in Hockey East this year. Record and recent performance aside, this is not a team to be taken lightly.

The Huskies– After taking down Lowell and St. Cloud State last weekend, the Huskies will look to continue their scoring ways. This season through six games, Northeastern has had goals from 13 different players, including five with multiple goals, a stark contrast to the production from their Comm Ave neighbors. The Huskies are led in scoring by five players, all with six points; junior Grant Jozefek’s four goals paces the team in that category. Seniors Lincoln Griffin and John Picking have streaked out to fast early starts, with five assists and one goal each. And newcomer Liam Pecararo has two goals and four assists to start his Northeastern career; it remains to be seen whether Pecararo will return to the ice this weekend after suffering a nasty hit into the boards against SCSU from which he did not return.

Gaudette Night– Thursday night the Huskies will unveil the banner commemorating Adam Gaudette’s historic Hobey Baker Award campaign last season. Gaudette was the first Hobey Baker Award winner in school history, and is currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks. He recently recorded his first NHL point, a secondary assist on a goal scored by Darren Archibald.